Lubricating system



Patented Aug. 3, 1943 LUBRICATIN G SYSTEM Leslie T. Miller, Stoneleigh, Md.,assignor to The Glen L. Martin Company, Baltimore, Md.

Application March 15, 1941, Serial No. 383,494

11 Claims.

damage to the system; at a rate dependent on the temperature of the make-up oil.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus for accomplishing this result which operates in response to variations in the viscosity of the oil, produced by changes in temperature.

Still another object is to produce a device of. this type which requires no valves or other movable parts.

Another object is to provide an arrangement in which the circulating oil transfers its heat to the oil in the tank so as to warm it to a temperature high enough for use in the system.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a structure which is easy to install in and.

remove fromthe tank.

An additional object is to provide a novel arrangement for removing air and other gases from the oil, this arrangement forming a part of the device for regulating the addition of make-up oil.

Still another object is to produce, in an apparatus of this type, a smooth outflow of oil therefrom.

Further objects and advantages of-this invention will appear more fully from the following description, particularly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which forms a part thereof.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a vertical cross section through an oil outlet pipe 8 from the tank to the pump, a pipe ill from the pump to the engine and a pipe l2 returning oil from the engine to the top of the tank 6. l I The tank- 6 as shown in Fig. 1 includes centrally thereof a warm-up compartment. This which extends upwardly through a hole in the bottom wall of the tank. This portion has near its top a flat section I6 against which impinges oil from a nozzle l8, which connects with the oil return pipe [2. Oil impinging on the fiat portion 16 is thus broken up into a spray which tends to release any air or vapors which may be held therein.

The compartment l4 below the bottom of the tank 6 is spun out as at 20 into a groove in an outlet block having a flange 22 adapted to rest against the lower face of the tank bottom. On the upper face of the tank bottom rests a ring 24, which is connected to flange 22 by bolts 26, thus holding the compartment I 4 in position within the tank.

The block which supports the warm-up compartment has a downwardly extending cylindrical portion provided with a tangential outlet 30 which connects with pipe 8. Upstanding from the bottom portion 28 is a post 32 supporting a disc 34 which is preferably located below the bottom wall of the tank 6 or at least below the entrance of make-up oil into the compartment [4, which will be described below.

The baifie plate 34 and the tangential outlet 30 produce a swirling motion of the oil escaping from the tank when drawn by the pump 4. This insures by the production of a vortex in the center the maintaining of a sufiicient oil level to cover at all times the edge of disc 34 so that no air can come below the disc. Thus after the oil has been freed from air by striking fiat portion 16 itis prevented from taking up further air or vapors by the outlet and disc arrangement.

Make-up oil to replace oil which may be used up or to mix with the hot oil returning from the engine is contained in the tank 6 on the outside of the compartment I4. This compartment is preferably of metal so that the hot oil passing down through the compartment gives off some of its heat to, andgradually warms, oil in the tank 6 which may be colder.

Communication between the compartment H and the tank 6 is provided by a plurality of grooves 36 in the lower face of the ring 24, these grooves having at their inner ends enlarged portions 38 communicating with holes 40 in the walls of compartment l4. The dimensions of the grooves 36 are so chosen that, when the oil is cold and thereforeviscous, they oil'er substantial resistance to the passage or oil. other words, the passages must be small enough to create a. frictional resistance is composed primarily of a cylindrical portion I4, sumcient to prevent small difierences between the head of oil in the tank 6 and that in the compartment I4 from forcing oil from the tank through the passages, until such oil reaches a suitable temperature for passage to the engine. Of course, if the amount of oil in the compartment 14 drops too low, so that there is danger of a failure of oil supply to the engine, the increased difference in head will force oil through the extended, conduit-like passages 36 into the compartment to preserve the necessary quantity of oil therein. However, when the oil becomes more fluid as it is heated, the frictional resistance in passages 36 will drop and the oil may pass through holes 40 whenever any difference in head occurs and enter the compartment M from which it will pass to the engine.

Thus there is obtained a control of the makeup oil merely through it own,viscosity which regulates the temperature of oil which can be fed to the engine, and thereby prevents damage to the engine.

While I have described herein one embodiment of my invention I wish it to be understood that I do not intend to limit myself thereby except within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with anoil tank, a warmup compartment extending upwardly through the bottom of the oil tank, inlet means in the top of said. tank adjacent the top of said warm-up compartment, means formed in the wall of said warm-up compartment providing communication between said tank and said compartment. said compartment having a portion extending below said communicating means and provided with a tangential outlet, and a disc baflle within said compartment spaced upwardly from the bottom thereof above the top of the outlet but below said communicating means, the edge of said disc being spaced from the walls of said compartment.

, 2. In combination with an oil tank, a warm up compartment extending upwardly through the bottom of the oil tank, inlet means in the top of said tank adjacent the top of said warmup compartment, means formed in the wall of said warm-up compartment providing communication between said tank and said comp-artment, said compartment having a portion extending below said communicating means and provided with a tangential outlet, and a disc within said compartment spaced upwardly from the bottom thereof but below the bottom of the tank, the edge of said disc being spaccd from the walls of said compartment.

3. In combination with an oil tank, a warmup compartment comprising a cylindrical compartment extending upwardly through the bottom of the oil tank, said compartment having a flat portion adjacent the top thereof, means to direct oil against said fiat portion, means formed in the wall of said warm-up compartment adjacent the bottom of said tank providing communication between the tank and said compartment, said compartment having a portion extending below said communicating means and provided with a tangential outlet, and a disc within said compartment spaced upwardly from thebottom thereof above the top of the outlet but below said communicating means, the edge of said disc being spaced from the walls of said compartment.

'4. In combination with an 'oil tank, a warmup compartment extending upwardlythrough the bottom of the oil tank, means formed in the wall of said warm-up compartment providing communication between said tank and said compartment, said compartment having a portion extending below said communicating means and provided with a tangential outlet, and a disc within said compartment spaced upwardly from the bottom thereof but below said communicating means, the edge of said disc being spaced from the walls of said compartment, said communicating means having such dimensions as to impose substantially greater resistance to the passage of oil when cold than when the oil is warmer.

5. In combination with an oil tank, a warmup compartment extending upwardly through the bottom of the oil tank, means formed in the wall of said warm-up compartment adjacent the bottom of the tank providing communication between said tank and said compartment, said compartment having a portion extending below said communication means and provided with a tangential outlet, and a disc within said compartment spaced upwardly from the bottom thereof above the top of the outlet but below said communicating means, the edge of said disc being spaced from the walls of said compartment, said communicating means havin such dimensions as to impose substantially greater resistance to the passage of oil when cold than when the oil is warmer,

6. In combination with an oil tank, a warmup compartment comprising a cylindrical compartment extending upwardly through the bottom of the oil tank, said compartment having a flat portion adjacent the top thereof, means to direct oil against said flat portion, means adjacent the bottom of the tank providing communication between said tank and said compartment, said compartment having a portion extending below said communicating means and provided with a tangential outlet, and a disc baffle within said compartment spaced upwardly from the bottom thereof above the top of the outlet but below said communicating means, the edge of said disc being spaced from the walls of said compartment, said communicating means having such dimensions as to impose substantially greater resistance to the passage of oil when cold than when the oil is warmer.

'7, In combination with an oil tank, having an opening in the bottom wall thereof, a warm-up compartment comprising acylindrical member insertable through said opening upwardly into the tank, a flanged member having an outlet therein secured on said cylindrical member below the bottomof the tank, a ring member within the tank around the cylindrical member, and means for securing said flanged member and said ring member together, said ring member and said compartment having communicating passages therethrough to provide communication between the bottom portion of the tank and the interior' tions.

9. An oil tank having a warm-up compart ment therein, the wall of said compartment extending from the bottom of said tank, substantially to the top of said tank, means forming a plurality of radially extending communicating passages between said tank and said compartment adjacent the bottom of said tank, said passages having a length substantially greater that the thickness of the compartment wall, and having a cross-sectional area such that the flow of high viscosity oil will be efiectively impeded, and oil of a predetermined low viscosity will flow freely between the compartments.

10. An oil tank having a warm-up compartment therein, said warm-up compartment extending upwardly from the bottom of the tank, and having a plurality of apertures formed in the wall thereof, an annular member extending around said warm-up compartment having a groove formed in the innerperiphery thereof signed to permit the free flow of oil of a predetermined low viscosity and effectively impede the flow of oil of high viscosity.

11. In combination with an oilitank, a warmup compartment extending upwardly through the bottom of the oil tank, said compartment having a flat portion adjacent the top thereof, means to direct oil against said fiat portion for removing air from oil entering the compartment, means formed in the wall of said warmup compartment providing communication between the tank and the compartment, said compartment having a portion extending below said communication means and provided with a tangential outlet in order to maintain a circular flow within said compartment and assist in the discharge of deaerated oil from the said compartment, and a disc within said compartment spaced upwardly from the bottom thereof above the top of the outlet but below said communieating means, the edge of said disc being spaced from the walls of said compartment to prevent the lowering of the'vortex of oil toward the outlet and allow flow of the deaeratedoil between the edge of the said disc and the walls of the compartment to the tangential outlet.

LESLIE T. MILLER. 

